Patterson, a Texas alum, was named Arizona State AD in March 2012. Most of his background is in professional sports. He was GM of the Houston Rockets from 1989 to 1993, senior VP of the Houston Texans from 1997 to 2003 and President (and later GM) of the Portland Trailblazers from 2003 to 2007.

It’s not immediately clear how this affects the more salient question of who replaces Mack Brown as football coach. Patterson was not in charge when the school hired Todd Graham, who does have relatives in Texas. He was involved in the weird search process, however, which included June Jones accepting an offer before having it pulled. His Houston Texans hire was current Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers.

There’s also the slightly less significant matter of Rick Barnes, who last went to the Sweet 16 in 2008. Patterson hired Nate McMillan with the Blazers in 2005. He was GM when the Rockets hired Rudy T in 1992.